10.5.22 NPC

Pittsburgh CourierPittsburgh

Mice, roaches—overall ‘inhumanity’ taking place at the Allegheny County Jail

Black organizations demand change there for inmates now

Some largely-Black, influ ential community organi zations have just about had it with Allegheny County Jail leadership.

The Black Political Em powerment Project, Alli ance for Police Accountabil ity, and members of other groups stood in solidarity in the Hill District, Oct. 2, condemning yet anoth er death that occurred at the Allegheny County Jail.

The September death of 57-year-old Anthony Talot ta marked the 17th person to die at the jail or at the hospital after being found unresponsive in the jail in the past 18 months.

But it doesn’t stop there.

Tim Stevens, Chairman and CEO of B-PEP, out

lined in a “position paper” addressed to County Ex ecutive Rich Fitzgerald, Warden Orlando Harper and the Jail Oversight Board what he called very disturbing revelations of roaches, mildew and oth er sanitary violations that those who are inside the jail have to live with.

But it still doesn’t stop there. Kim Williams, with the Alliance for Police Ac countability, also detailed at the Oct. 3 news confer ence the revelation of wom en at the jail having to use socks as maxi pads.

Put it all together, and the two organizations were this close to demand ing that Harper, the jail warden, who is Black, be

Stacie Allen’s murder mystery show and dinner comes to the Hosanna House, Oct. 8

Imagine that you walk into your place of employ ment and see your boss with his face in a bowl of mashed potatoes gripping his trombone in one hand.

That’s the premise be hind Stacie Allen’s fourth annual Soul Food Come dy Murder Mystery Show, “Who Killed Lenny Trom bone?” set for Saturday, Oct. 8, at Hosanna House, 807 Wallace Ave., Wilkins burg, from 6 to 9 p.m. Tick ets are $50, which includes the performance, dinner, dessert and drinks.

Allen first became inter ested in murder mysteries after watching “Murder on the Orient Express.” She hired a troupe to perform a murder mystery for a work event she was having and noticed that there weren’t any people of color acting in the show and even fewer in the audience.

That’s when the kernel of an idea began to germinate

in her mind: have her own mystery dinner theater shows that cater to Blacks.

“I wanted my murder mystery to be different.

I’ve always been different,” said Allen, 59, who resides in Verona and works as a financial counselor at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

When her birthday rolled around in 2019, she decid ed to try out her new en deavor on her friends.

“I had a birthday party at the Indigo Hotel. I got one of the rooms and I created a crime scene. I put clues all over the body and I put crime scene tape all over the room. I let my friends know that they would have to go upstairs into the ho tel room and use the clues and solve the mystery,” she recalled. “My friends real ly enjoyed it and said how much fun it was.”

Despite the emergence of COVID-19 in 2020, Allen still held her murder mys tery. “We had a show sched uled for a hotel in Monro

eville, but COVID hit, so we rehearsed via Zoom and we just did a free event at Rocks Landing in McKees Rocks to get the word out about what we were doing. We only had about 30 peo ple there and most of them had masks on,” she said.

Last year, Allen, who writes and directs each show but co-produced this year’s show with Carl King, garnered her biggest crowd to date—over 100 people—She’s hoping for an even bigger turnout this Saturday.

“I notice that given any event, people wait until the last minute to buy tickets,” she said.

Still, her team feels this year’s show is the best yet and encourages patrons to grab their tickets soon.

“This show is my favorite. It is full of hilarity. You’ll be in stitches. Sometimes we catch ourselves laughing in rehearsal,” said Allyson Bonner, Allen’s friend who has been along for the ride since the beginning. “We are like a family; we are all very close. That’s the fam ily that Stacie has built. People should be prepared to come laugh, eat, drink and solve a crime. There is

Several people close to Stacie Allen have been killed by violence. But she didn’t let the tragedies define her.

Senga Nengudi makes history as first Black woman to win Nasher prize for sculpture

For the first time in history, a Black woman has received the Nash er Prize, which awards $100,000 to “a living art ist who elevates the un derstanding of sculpture and its possibilities.”

According to the Wash ington Post, Chicago-born artist Senga Nengudi is the 2023 recipient of the Nasher Prize from the Nasher Sculpture Center, a Dallas-based museum.

Nengudi’s work trans forms inexpensive, ev eryday materials into artistic expressions that address the feminist and

Black arts movements.

In one of her pieces, Nengudi draped “fabric spirits” fashioned from flag material on fire es capes in Harlem as a rep resentation of the souls of the people she met in the city.

worn-out pantyhose as a dedication to the female body.

“I was looking for mate rial that kind of reflected the female body,” Nengu di previously told curator Elissa Auther about the piece. “And then, finally,

This Week In Black History A Courier Staple

• OCTOBER 5

1867—

The first Black mayor of any American city takes office. His name was Monroe Baker. The prominent businessman was appointed mayor of St. Martin, La., two years after the end of slavery.

• OCTOBER 6

1847—

The first National Black Convention takes place in Troy, N.Y. There were more than 100 delegates in attendance from at least nine states. Top items on the agenda included determining ways to help end slavery and encouraging free Blacks to refuse to purchase products produced by slave labor. Frederick Douglass frequently makes note of the convention because one of its aims was to organize inde pendent Black power and “not depend on Whites and hope” to free Blacks.

1871—The now world famous Fisk Jubilee Singers begin their first nation al tour. The tours helped raise funds for Nashville, Tenn.’s, pre dominately Black Fisk Universi ty as well as give the school an international reputation.

cil of Officers from joining the Continental army to help fight for American independence from England. Nevertheless, a significant number of Blacks had already become involved in the fight and would distinguish themselves in battle. Additional Blacks were barred out of fear, especially in the South, that they would demand freedom for themselves if White Ameri ca became free from Britain.

1941— National Black political leader and twotime can didate for president of the United States Rev. Jesse Jackson was born on this day in Greenville, S.C. After the 1968 assassination of Civil Rights Movement icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson, who was one of his top aides, would become the nation’s most prominent and influential civil rights leader.

• OCTOBER 9

Most notably, she cre ated a sculpture out of

I found the pantyhose. Right after that, I went, ‘Wow,’ because the whole birthing experience— you’re expanding, and then all of a sudden, after it’s over, you’re contract ing, and your body kind of goes back into shape. I re ally wanted to somehow express that experience.”

Nasher Director Jeremy Strick applauded Nengu di for her innovation and engagement with social issues.

“In more recent years, the extraordinary cre ativity of the Black art community—which, in the ’70s and ’80s, was in many ways marginalized —is now being recog nized,” Strick said. “And so she occupies a critical place in the history of Black arts but also of art, period.”

“At a moment when the right of women to con trol their bodies has been taken away, she’s an art ist whose exploration of female identity through works made with pant yhose speaks with great power and relevance,” he added.

A ceremony honoring Nengudi and her work is set to take place in April 2023.

Along with the mone tary prize, her art will be featured at Dia Beacon next year.

1917—Ac tivist Fannie Lou Hamer is born in Montgomery County, Miss. She goes on to become one of the major female figures in the Civil Rights Move ment of the 1960s. Nev ertheless, she remains one of the movement’s most effective unsung heroes. As to why she became involved in the movement for Black freedom, dignity and political rights, she would often say in reference to injustice, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

1971—The first legal interracial marriage takes place in North Carolina. A Black man, John Wilkin son, marries a White woman, Lorraine Mary Turner. The marriage came a few years after the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Loving v. Virginia that ruled legal barriers to interracial marriage, which existed in most South ern states, were unconstitutional.

• OCTOBER 7 1821—One of the most prominent Blacks in the Underground Railroad, William Still, is born near Bedford, Mass. The “Underground Railroad” was the name given to a series of secret trails and safe houses used to help Blacks escape from slavery in the South to freedom in the North.

1897—The founder of the Nation of Islam Elijah Muham mad is born Elijah Poole in Sandersville, Ga., as one of 13 children. Muhammad would build his religious sect into the largest independent Black separatist organization in America. The group is current ly headed by Min. Louis Farrakhan. Muhammad died in February 1975.

1934—Activ ist, writer and poet Imamu Baraka is born Everett LeRoi Jones in Newark, N.J. Baraka was one of the leading intellectual figures in the Black Power and Black Nationalist movements of the 1960s and early 1970s. A special tribute honor ing Baraka’s 75th birthday took place around this time last year.

1967—Carl Stokes is elected the first Black mayor of a major American city—Cleveland, Ohio. Interestingly, he won by defeating Seth Taft—the grandson of a former United States president—Howard Taft.

1993—Writer Toni Morrison is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

1806—Benja min Banneker dies in Ellicott Mills, Md., at age 74. Banneker was a brilliant mathematician with a great memory and is credited with completing the layout and de sign of Washing ton, D.C.

1823—Mary Ann Shad is born. She becomes publisher of Canada’s first anti-slavery newspaper—The Provin cial Freeman. In fact, she is the first woman in the U.S. or Canada to edit and publish a newspaper. 1962—The east African nation of Uganda becomes independent from British rule.

1984—W. Wilson Goode makes his tory by becoming the first Black mayor of Philadelphia, Pa.

2009—In a move which surprised just about everyone, President Barack Obama is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Obama had been in office for less than 9 months at this time last year but the No bel Committee in Oslo, Norway, said it was impressed by his “promise” of disarmament and diplomacy.

• OCTOBER 10

1778—What is believed to be the first formal school for Blacks—the Africa Free School—opens in New York City.

1899—Black inven tor Isaac Johnson patents the bicycle frame.

1901—Frederick Douglass Pat terson is born. He grows up to become President of Fisk University in Nash ville, Tenn. From there he would later launch an effort that leads to the 1944 founding of the United Negro College Fund.

1917—Famed Jazz pianist Theolo nius Monk is born in Rocky Mount, N.C.

1935—George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess,” a Black spiritual opera, premiers on Broadway in New York City. It starred Todd Duncan from Howard University. The play becomes one of the most popular Black-themed shows ever to hit Broadway. The 1959 movie version stars Sidney Portier and Dorothy Dandridge.

• OCTOBER 11

1887—Alexander Miles patents a major safety improvement to the ele vator. Miles did not invent the elevator. But he made it safer with an automat ically closing door which prevented people from accidentally falling down elevator shafts.

1890—Black inventor Charles Orren Bailiff patents the shampoo headrest.

1939—The NAACP organizes the NAACP Education and Legal Defense Fund, which goes on to win many important legal battles guaran teeing civil and educational rights for Blacks.

1991—Comedian and actor Redd Foxx dies at age 68. He was born John Elroy Sanford in St. Louis, Mo. An IRS raid on his Las Vegas home to collect back taxes is thought to have hastened his death.

Congratulations Bishop Wade Jones!

Education, hard work are attributes that made Clairton’s Ted Kay who he is today

The 20 years that Ted Kay lived in the city of Clairton were some of the most idyllic times in his life.

“Between Clairton and my father, it kind of made

samond C. Kay, was the pastor of Morning Star Baptist Church and was persuaded by those clos est to him to turn down the call to pastor in the City of Prayer.

“We lived in New Castle before then and Clairton had a bad reputation,

a lot of fun living there.”

Kay’s first childhood friend in Clairton, Ter rence Hammons, who is the chairman of the dea con board at Morning Star, can attest to the wonderful upbringing in the city.

“The education in

to several positions and several plants within the organization.

“My father was always finding jobs for students so when I went to college, he knew the personnel di rector at the plant and he said, ‘hey, I’ve got a son in college and he needs a summer job,’ and I got

ni council. He received the college’s two high est alumni awards that honor students for their service to the commu nity: The Distinguished Service Award, which he received in 2001—on his 30th anniversary of grad uating—and the Life Key Award, which he received

you respond to that from a Christian perspective.”

Dr. Troup continued: “It’s really important for us to have a good re lationship between the Black Student Union and the leadership of the col lege and he really helps with that. We are so grateful for (Kay’s) lead

What’s Kay’s message these days to the younger generation of Clairton residents? “I lived through the good times back when the mills were operat ing and now. Unless there are some major changes here, people who were not born here won’t come to stay. You have to get a grocery store in town, work on the crime and figure out a way to get kids to stay in school and study and realize that there are not lim itations on them.”

us ready for anything.

The relationships in the church were like the so cial center of the city. We would spend hours in the church; that was just what people did. You were in the choir, you were in different clubs—you had things like Vacation Bible School that back then lasted two weeks...I was ready for anything because I never had any expectations of anything being given to me. My foundation was set here in Clairton.”

Kay, 73, now resides in Michigan. He was born in Virginia and arrived in Clairton by way of New Castle thanks to his fa ther’s pastoral endeav ors. Kay’s father, Rev. Ro

even back in the day, so there were people trying to tell my father not to move to Clairton because it’s rough down there, and you’ve got these kids and it’s not going to be good for them,” Kay re called.

“I never had any prob lems with the people—I think because my father was Reverend Kay— and I hung out in Blair Heights and everyone either went to Mount Ol ive First Baptist Church or Morning Star Baptist Church, Gethsemane or AME. That’s where we grew up and made friends with everybody,” added Kay, who played baseball and ran track while in Clairton. “It was

Clairton was very good in Clairton back then,” Hammons told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “You had all the classes and college classes. There was so much from an academ ic standpoint. You had people who encouraged you because they knew your family. If there were drugs or anything, they hid it. We had a lot of friends, Black and White, it was a great time grow ing up here.”

While attending Geneva College, Kay would re turn to Clairton during the summers for work. He started his long ca reer at General Motors, first in McKeesport as a payroll auditor and he moved up in the company

hired after my freshman year,” Kay said. “In the summers when I was at Geneva, I would work at the Pittsburgh plant in McKeesport. I worked there for three summers and I graduated in 1971 and got hired into the Lordstown, Ohio plant. (My father) ended up be ing on the finance staff at General Motors. He ended up becoming the finance manager/VP of fi nance for the Worldwide Facilities Group (WFG). The company had two environmental subsid iaries—REALM and EN CORE—we had a group of people who managed those and I was VP of fi nance for those groups, too and that’s basically where I retired from in 2008.”

“There is no better fi nance person than Ted Kay,” said Ray Tessier, retired director of Glob al Environmental Ser vices for General Motors Worldwide. “He always knew what we needed to have. He worked in Pitts burgh and Lordstown in the factories and that makes a difference for a finance person because he’s been there. He un derstood what the peo ple wanted and what the people wanted to hear. We were able to build a sound budget all of the 16 years he worked there. I always said he should’ve run the whole thing. For the 16 years that Ted worked as CFO we always had a balanced budget and that’s almost unheard of at General Motors.”

Kay is still active in the Geneva College com munity. From approxi mately 2005 to 2015, Kay served as the president of the school’s alum

in 2006 on the 35th an niversary of graduating from the school.

“We are really thank ful to have Ted as one of our distinguished alumni and he’s such as asset,” Geneva College president Dr. Calvin L. Troup said.

“...He was kind of one of the founding members of our Black Student Union at Geneva in the turbu lence of the ‘60s. He’s re ally been able to engage and help the leadership of our Black Student Union today as they are responding to dynamics in culture and society re lated to racism and how

ership at the college.”

What’s Kay’s message these days to the young er generation of Clairton residents? “I lived through the good times back when the mills were operating and now. Un less there are some major changes here, people who were not born here won’t come to stay,” Kay said.

“You have to get a gro cery store in town, work on the crime and figure out a way to get kids to stay in school and study and realize that there are not limitations on them.”

OVERCOMING TRAGEDY THROUGH COMEDY

Stacie Allen’s murder mystery show and dinner comes to the Hosanna House, Oct. 8

a prize attached and there is also a question-and-an swer section.”

Bonner played characters in the first three murder mysteries, but feels she is most beneficial behind the scenes.

“Stacie always has great ideas and when she starts writing, her mind is amaz ing and I couldn’t not be part of this,” Bonner con tinued. “Last year I de signed the sets and dec orated the hall and I set

the stage and made the floral arrangements. It’s her dream and I was will ing to help her fulfill that dream.”

Allen’s friend, Cecelia Coleman Finney, who, along with her husband, Henry Finney, will be mak ing her acting debut in this year’s murder mystery, echoed many of Bonner’s sentiments.

“Stacie is a good friend and she asked me to par ticipate and I was thrilled. She’s mature and I like her and I like to support Black

businesses,” Coleman Fin ney said. “Audiences can expect to use their detec tive skills that they didn’t know they had. They can expect to be stimulated mentally by coming to gether as one at a table to solve a problem. I’ve never been to a murder mystery dinner. I was planning on coming to this one and she asked me to be in it. After COVID, people need to ap preciate life more.”

Allen’s goal one day is to have her own space to hold rehearsals; she cur

rently holds them in her home, at Highland Park, and at local Verona-based businesses in the past. She also hopes to gain a large enough following so that she can be hired to create murder mystery theaters for clients.

“I like to showcase live artists,” said Allen, who created Jazz Bean En tertainment in 2015, a company that hired local bands to perform in vari ous clubs throughout Pitts burgh. “My mystery dinner

theater shows are differ ent because I have come dians, actors and singers involved. There are not too many places around like that.”

Tragically, several peo ple close to Allen have been killed by violence— her best friend, two of her brothers and her husband were murdered in the 1990s. She also lost a child. But she didn’t let the trag edies define her. She uses them to create comedic mystery shows.

“I’ve had so much death around me before the age of 40 that I would never be able to write the gory stuff,” she said. “This gives me some joy and fun with people that I enjoy. I like to write something and see it come to life.”

(Editor’s Note: For more infor mation, including ticket infor mation, call 412-513-7137.)

East Liberty Presbyterian Church

Patrice Fowler-Searcy

Mice, roaches—overall ‘inhumanity’ taking place at the Allegheny County Jail

Black organizations demand change there for inmates now

removed from his position.

“You’re not doing your job,” Williams, APA’s civic engagement coordinator, said about Harper. “We need you to do your job, do something about what’s going on down there. Peo ple have been begging, ‘Please do this, please do that,’ and it’s the lack of not doing so.”

“There are organizations that have actually called for his dismissal,” Stevens added. “B-PEP as an or ganization has not called for his dismissal, but we did say if these things are not managed expeditiously and effectively, then there needs to be a serious exam ination of the possibility of his termination.”

into the bags of food locat ed in the kitchen, and that roaches were seen crawling on the kitchen walls. In the Pitt study, those inside the jail reported being served meals that had roaches crawling in them, and that overall, 25 percent of the prisoners said they had sufficient blankets to stay warm at night.

Other findings from the Pitt study were that essen tial medications, such as insulin for diabetics, were withheld for days, dental visits were delayed for as long as a year, and 88 per cent said they went to bed hungry at night.

Join our growing Praise and Worship Church Community!

For rate informa tion, call 412-4818302, ext. 128. We want to feature positive youth from our Pitts burgh church commu nity. Please mail their bio and photo to:

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In reports released by the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work and the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism this year, there were find ings of unhealthy, unsafe and inhumane conditions at the jail. The Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism report includ ed that mice were eating

Stevens said he wants the jail to immediately “hire a professional, com mercial exterminator who will guarantee the killing of the roaches, eliminate the mice, and seal the doorways and holes in the building where they are entering the facility.” He also wants to remove peo ple who “don’t belong in jail, including people suf fering from addiction and mental health issues. We are encouraged by the fact that the population of the

jail has decreased during the pandemic,” Stevens said, “but more work must be done to remove those in dividuals who should sim ply not be in a jail facility.”

Stevens said to oversee a facility that subjects its residents to inhumane conditions “is terrible. But to fail to act, once you have been confronted with the facts, is worse.”

Stevens passed the mi crophone over to Shayla Holmes, executive assis tant for B-PEP, the Great er Pittsburgh Coalition Against Violence and the Corporate Equity Inclu sion Roundtable. Holmes has a male friend who re cently was released from the jail, but never being convicted of a crime; in stead, his court date kept getting postponed, pro longing his jail stay. “He was in the process of get ting ready to have a new baby, as his fiancee was nine months pregnant,” Holmes said. “He almost missed the birth of his child all because they kept postponing his date to be seen....just because they may be labeled as crimi nals doesn’t take from the humanity that they should be shown.”

Reverend Michael A. Day of Legacy Internation al Worship Center then spoke at the news confer ence, and was in shock that some people who have pets at home seem to be treated better than actual humans in the Allegheny County Jail.

And as far as the deaths at the jail? “I deal with young people daily,” Rev. Day said, “one of our young people just got out of the county jail, and to hear the number (of deaths at the jail), I am grateful he’s alive...it is alarming as a father, if my son or daugh ter ends up down there (at the jail), we have to question if they’re going to come out alive.”

“This is a very serious situation,” added Williams, who spoke after Rev. Day

at the Oct. 3 news confer ence. “We cannot tolerate what’s happening down in the ACJ any longer. Not only do the residents have roaches in their food, but the young ladies down there are using their socks for maxi pads. Any time we have to use a sock for a maxi pad, we’re not being given our hygiene prod ucts. It’s a shame and it’s a crime.”

Late Tuesday, Oct. 4, Warden Harper and mem bers of the jail administra tion responded to the news conference called by Ste vens a day earlier.

“We welcomed this (Pitt) survey done in conjunction with the Jail Oversight Board (JOB), put the re sults out publicly, had a public presentation on its contents and discussed it at last month’s JOB meet ing, are providing a written response at the request of the board, and will discuss

it again in this month’s meeting. The board has en tered the survey and those responses into their public record and we’re providing the written response in this press release to fur ther promote transparen cy around it,” Harper said, his comments obtained by the Courier. “It’s extremely frustrating that we have embraced this survey as a tool to improve the jail, yet a press conference is held to accuse us of mistreat ment without any attempt by Mr. Stevens or others to contact us to discuss his concerns. We take offense to the misstatements and misrepresentations put forth. We welcome all com ments, but a press confer ence is not the proper ven ue for that conversation. If the goal is to cause more chaos, then we will never be able to move forward.”

We

Colonel (Ret.) Neal R. Hickle, 79, of Manheim, PA died September 21, 2022. Born October 2, 1942, he was the son of the late A. Raymond and Audrey Hickle. He was married for 52 years to Marylou (Heley) Hickle.

Neal was born and raised in Pitts burgh, PA gradu ating from Carrick High School and spent his childhood pursuing the sciences of flora and fauna on the Chestnut Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. His equal love of astronomy and astrophysics were passions that followed him into adulthood, along with international motor racing and exotic car testing.

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At an early age, he became strongly interested in the Civil Air Patrol and became a CAP cadet with the Pittsburgh chapter while in high school. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Drexel University in 1965 where he was lifetime member of Alpha Upsilon (chapter of PI KAPPA PHI fraternity), Neal enlisted in the United States Air Force. Throughout his 34-year career, he advanced from airman to colonel and served in both active and reserve capacities with many duty assignments worldwide. His last position held was the Air Force FEMA Liaison to Pennsylvania for disaster preparedness and anti-terrorism. He also earned a Masters of Business Administration from Suffolk University.

Col. Hickle earned many awards and decorations during his military career including Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Pennsylvania Meritorious Service Medal, three Commendation Medals, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. He was a graduate of the National War College and Air Command and Staff and Squadron Officers Schools. He was a lifetime member of the Military Officers Association of America, American Legion, Veterans of For eign Wars, American Veterans, and Air Force Association.

In addition to his military career, Col. Hickle completed 34 years in banking, serving in roles from management trainee to executive vice president at First Susquehanna Bank and president at West Milton State Bank.

Neal enjoyed and loved his family, serving as a devoted husband, father and grandfather. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children Karyn Harnish (Scott), Lynne Hickle (Erik Shmukler) and Craig Hickle (Amanda). He is also survived by four grandchildren – Gretta, Meridyth, Ella and Max.

Col. Hickle strongly believed in love, family, duty, honor, and country before self.

A private service will be held for family and friends to honor Neal’s life. Interment with full military honors will take place at the Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project (www.woundedwarriorproject.org), Disabled American Veterans (www.ihelpveterans.org), and the Pennsylvania SPCA (www.pspca.org). Buch Funeral Home, Manheim, handled the arrangements.

“But this I say, he which soweth sparing ly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountiful ly. Every man according as he purpose in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for GOD LOVETH A CHEERFUL GIV ER.”

REV. WALKER SAYS: The Blessing of sowing and reaping, if you plant a little you will reap a little. If you plant much you will reap much. God’s multiplication cannot be measured by man’s standards. Malachi 3:11—And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before time in the field,

How do the Steelers lose to the Jets? C’mon, man!

:10—OK OK OK, for the first time...well, EVER!!... Kevin Cameron was right about a sports matter. But never mind, that’s all I am sayin’. And yes, I do have to buy him dinner.

:09—That being said, if you want to know what he was right about, tune in to “Soul Take/Champions Live” on Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. We go global with the latest in the sports world. This week’s special guest is world-renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht discussing the state of affairs with con cussions via sports.

:08—C’mon, man... #1— How do the Steelers not know the ball’s coming over

the middle, that’s the only place everybody throws on us. #2—I thought we draft ed Devin Bush to cover the middle because he’s so quick? #3—If the ball hits your hands you’re sup posed to catch it. So says the Lord of the reception, Jerry Rice.

:07—Anyone wanting to say your goodbyes to the late, great Mitch Tru bisky can meet him at the Greyhound bus station as he gets outta Dodge. And please don’t start with the tears, you knew it was only a matter of time... Well, who said life was fair!?!

:06—Sorry, I don’t know what to tell ya about Chase Claypool. His falling star

should be on the rise. How does a 5’8” cornerback in tercept a pass coming into his 6’4” frame? That should never, ever happen. But the season is still young, we’ll give it time.

:05—That being said, and you may not believe this, but given the state of af fairs, we’re only one game outta first place in our division. Hang in there,

Martha, help’s on the way!

Wait, what? Who?

:04—Barring an inju ry, Sidney Crosby should move into 15th place alltime on the NHL scoring leaders chart. Since the 1984-85 season we’ve had the incredible pleasure to see three of the top 15 scor ers in NHL history, Sid, #2 all-time Jaromir Jagr and the incomparable Mario Lemieux, along with five Stanley Cup champion ships. As an avowed hock ey purist I must say, pret ty darn impressive, pretty darn impressive. That’s all I got.

:03—As you read this, the Pirates season is pretty much over. Thankfully.

:02—The astonishingly great Albert Pujols closed out his illustrious regu lar season career at PNC Park against our Bucs and on Monday, Oct. 3, hit his 703rd home run all-time. Although not really a Car dinals fan, at this last stage in his career wouldn’t it be really great to see Albert and the Cardinals win the World Series? I know it sounds a little Hollywood but that’s my rooting inter est going into the start of the playoffs. Yeah, sue me.

:01—Before ya go, still looking for a female that can talk sports “Big Time” to co-host on our show. We’ll make ya a star, count on it!! Also, big-time par

THE SHIP HAS SAILED

ty Saturday Night, “It’s Showtime at D & B’s” (that’s Dave & Buster’s to you), starring Sandy Green and Friends and featuring the Pittsburgh and Allegh eny County Public Service Awards. Doors open at 6 p.m. Call 412-628-4856 for information.

:00:00 - Double OT

The five greatest quar terbacks all-time—#1.— Terry Bradshaw #2—Joe Montana #3.—Tom Brady (he cheated on at least 2, let’s be real) #4—Warren Moon #5—John Unitas. Got a problem with my list, call the show on Tuesday, 412-213-8995... or shut-up about it. GAME OVER.

It’s Kenny Pickett time in Pittsburgh

On Sunday, Oct. 2, the Pittsburgh Steelers were in the midst of a ho-hum game against the New York Jets. It was the beginning of the third quarter. During the first half, the performance of the Steelers’ offense was quite simply, offensive. They performed as if they had been stripped of any positive energy and as if they were drowning with out a life jacket or life boat in sight. During the previous games, it didn’t seem to matter wheth er the Steeler defense provided a turnover, a spark, a twist, or a turn. The fortune of the team seemed to be mired in the “quicksand of mediocri ty.” It took the insertion of first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett to silence the bells of defeat to cre ate opportunity. Pickett, in for quarterback Mitch Trubisky, strode onto the field with the swagger and confidence of a man as if he was a gambler in Las Vegas, at the craps table playing with money to burn, not afraid to lose, but with the guts of some one striving to win. Pick

ett ran into the ER and removed the ventilator from a team that was ex periencing a season that was just one small step from the bone orchard: he shocked them back to life with a competitive defibrillator. He snatched the team out of the hos pital bed just before they were counted out and pro nounced finished for the season and got to crack ing.

During the beginning of the season, when the de fense, the offense and spe cial teams were evaluat ed, the offense appeared to be on life support and operating as if they were curled up in a fetal posi tion, leaving the remain der of the team in a fatal position.

At the moment it hap pened, I was sitting in the press box. The stomp

ing and cheering became louder and louder. It was so voluminous and power ful. I thought at any mo

ment the walls were going to come tumbling down. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, always a master

of the understatement, had this to say about in serting Kenny Pickett into the game. “We just thought we needed a spark,” he said. “We didn’t do much in the first half, not enough offensively. And thought he could pro vide a spark for us.”

I hope that I am wrong, but maybe the choice of inserting Kenny Pickett will remove some of the pressure from the shoul ders of Mitch Trubisky. Rookie wideout George Pickens confirmed what his head coach said about Kenny Pickett provid ing a needed spark for a floundering team that seemed to have an iden tity crisis or a lack of an identity crisis.

I watched Trubisky pa trol the sidelines from the bench to points unknown and back to the bench. His response after the game did not appear to be very “go get-um Pick ett-like.” When Trubisky was asked, “Do you think the switch was deserved?” His very un-teammatelike response was, “It doesn’t matter what I think. (Coach Tomlin) did what he thought was best for the team.”

Trubisky was so non chalant about the Steel ers’ season resting in his hands and continued say ing, “I took some shots. They didn’t connect.

We didn’t score enough points. I got pulled at halftime. That’s just how it goes sometimes. It’s just business as usual. We’ve got to find a way to pull together and get better from here. I’m dis appointed, obviously, but that’s part of it.

Sounds like a very im perfect cheerleader: yay, go team. That’s right Mitch, you didn’t connect all season. Well, except for a few circus-like catches made by your wide receivers. You didn’t score enough points? Right again. You got pulled at halftime for a shabby performance... that is not how it’s sup posed to go. “We’ve got to find a way to pull together and get better from here.” Is it they must get bet ter? Or do you have to get better? You’re disappoint ed? What about a team, a city, and an entire region being disappointed? The Steelers’ ship has sailed: Mitch Trubisky gave up a seat on the bridge for a regular cabin.

The jury is still out on Mitch Trubisky morph ing from a starter to a supporter of his team. However, the jury is back on convicting him of inef fectiveness as the Steel ers’ starting quarterback. Guilty as charged.

IS

Ratio’ and why this number matters when getting a mortgage

If you are looking to buy a home, you may want to consider shopping for a loan first. Having your financing squared away ahead of time can make it easier to be taken seri ously by buyers and help move along the closing process. For those who are looking to get a mortgage soon, keep in mind that the Debt-to-Income ratio of the borrower plays a huge role in the approval of your mortgage applica tion.

What is a Debt-to-In come Ratio and What do Lenders Look At?

A debt-to-income ratio is the percentage of monthly debt payments compared to the amount of gross in come that a person earns each month. Your gross monthly income is typi cally the amount of mon ey you earn before taxes and other deductions are taken out. If a person’s monthly gross income is $2,000 a month and they have a monthly debt payment of $1000 each month, that person would have a DTI of 50 percent.

The lower the DTI the better. 43 percent is in most cases the highest DTI that potential bor rowers can have and still get approved for a mort gage. The good news for borrowers is that lenders will disregard some debt when calculating a bor rower’s DTI. For example, utilities, cable, phone and health insurance premi um would not be consid ered as part of your DTI.

What lenders will look at are any installment loan obligations such as auto loans or student loans as well as any revolving debt payments such as cred it cards or a home equity line of credit. In some cas

es, a lender will disregard an installment loan debt

How to set up your home office for success

if the loan is projected to be paid off in the next 10 months.

What Is Considered Income?

Almost any source of income that can be ver ified will be counted as income on a mortgage application. Wage income is considered as part of a borrower’s monthly qual ifying income. Self-em ployed individuals can use their net profit as income when applying for a mort gage, however, many lend ers will average income in the current year with in come from previous years. In addition, those who re ceive alimony, investment income or money from a pension or social securi ty should make sure and include those figures in their monthly income as well when applying for a loan.

How Much Debt Is Too Much Debt?

Many mortgage lenders prefer to only offer loans to those who have a debt-

(Brandpoint)—If you didn’t work from home before, chances are you are or have the ability to now. According to Forbes, remote work is here to stay, with projections that 25 percent of all pro fessional jobs in North America will be remote by the end of 2022.

Whether you already work from home, have a hybrid work sched ule or are contemplat ing switching to remote work, you’ll need to know how to do so successfully. Set yourself up for suc cess using these three home office tips.

1. Create a dedicated workspace One of the perks of working from home is the freedom to work from your bed, couch, kitchen or patio. Howev er, without a dedicated workspace, you’ll con stantly be hauling your laptop, notes, binders and other office supplies to a different spot every day, sometimes multi ple times a day. After a while, what once felt like freedom can become an other chore and can slow down your workday.

By having a dedicated home office, you can cre ate a space that you step

into every day and feel productive. Your laptop, monitor, printer, papers and other supplies are all in one place, so you can get to work as soon as you sit down. If you’d like a change of scen ery, you can still move around and take calls or a meeting from other areas in your home, but you can always return to the security and conve nience of your dedicated workspace.

If you have a hybrid schedule, set up your home workspace to mim ic your office environ ment. This will make it easier to switch between spaces and continue your projects, whether at home or in the office.

2. Have the right tools Now that you’ve set up a workspace, it’s time to fill it with the tools you’ll need to succeed. For ex ample, if your work re quires you to have sever al windows or programs open at once, set up two or more computer moni tors. Multiple monitors allow you to look at a document, type up a re port and attend a meet ing simultaneously with out juggling multiple minimized windows.

doesn’t come with

Thought leader and personal financial expert extraordinaire Ric Elderman coined the expression, “Money doesn’t come with instructions.” It’s the absolute truth. Most of what we know about money we learn one of three ways.

1. Trial and Error: We do something stupid that costs us money—oftentimes, TONS OF MONEY. After much heartache, regret, a bruised ego, broken pride, and ei ther debt or an empty wallet, money lesson learned.

2. Biased advice: Most of the financial advice we receive comes from financial pro fessionals trying to sell us various finan cial products. Too often the advice given is based on the limited menu of products and services offered by the advisor. If that’s not the case, the advice given is based on which financial product offers the financial advi sor the biggest fee or commission. You’d think what’s in the client’s best interest is at the heart of the financial advice given by financial advisors. Sad to say, that’s not al ways the case. Some people say this is why they call them “Brokers.” They’re making themselves rich while making their clients “broker.”

3. Advice from family, friends, and co-workers: Family, friends, and cowork ers tend to have good intentions when doling out financial advice. However, their advice is layman advice at best. They don’t know what they don’t know. What they do know, they more than likely learned from trial and error, advice given to them by their “Broker” or advice given to them from their respective family, friends, and co-workers.

Many of us enter adult life with high school diplomas and college degrees nev er being taught how to properly manage money.

I was recently the Master of Ceremonies at my 30-year high school class reunion. As the Master of Ceremonies, I made a point to share a story or joke about each of the presenters. One of the presenters is a good friend of mine whose name is Nicole. Ni cole recited a poem she wrote titled “The Rayen School.” The poem was beautiful. It took us on a walk down memory lane sharing highlights of various moments of our high school years. There was one line in her poem that peaked my interest as a money coach. In attendance at our class reunion was the local mayor, Tito Brown who is also a graduate of The Rayen High School. I took an op portunity to make a joke of this.

Nicole said, “We were young and fearless and had limitless ideals. And that is because we were kids and barely had to pay any bills. Those bills are a Mother!! We couldn’t wait to become adults. We thought being an adult was about be ing able to cuss, drink and have relations whenever we wanted to. Somebody should have told us about those bills. Mayor Tito Brown, I need you to call President Joe Biden and tell him to forgive us our stu dent loans, car loans, mortgages and credit cards! We want to get back to having lim itless ideals!” The joke was a hit. Everyone laughed because we all can relate.

On the day of this writing, I had a finan cial planning session with a client. She’s a single mom who’s looking to get a grip on her money. She shared a story with me re garding her and her father’s relationship.

Similarly, having a home printer is incred ibly convenient and can streamline your work flow. Even if your job doesn’t normally require you to print documents, your home printer will be useful on the rare occasions that you do.

Also, to give your eyes a screen break, you can print your documents to read and markup with pen and paper.

To simplify the print ing process, download Mopria Print Service. This mobile printing app for Android phones and tablets allows you to connect and print to more than 120 million Mopria certified print ers without addition al setup. It eliminates the need to install any additional software or drivers, allowing you to easily print regardless of the printer’s brand from anywhere in your home. To learn more, visit Mo pria.org/Print-From-An droid.

3. Identify and manage distractions

Your life is filled with distractions that can take your focus off a pending project. Wheth er it’s the dog asking to play or go outside or

household chores hang ing over your head, it can be difficult to stay on task. And once you’ve become distracted, it can be difficult to get back into the swing of things. To stay focused and productive while work ing from home, identify and manage distractions that will derail your workflow. When you take a break, let your dog out and play with them, so they’re less likely to ask for attention during a conference call. Set time aside before or after work to complete chores and errands, so you’re not thinking about them while trying to finish a budget report.

If you’re easily distract ed by the social media apps on your phone, use a focus app to limit the hours in which you can use them outside work hours.

Working from home isn’t always easy, but you can set yourself up for success by tailoring your home office to your needs. Using these three tips, you can easily cre ate a home working en vironment where you can feel productive and com fortable.

They were very close. She admitted that he spoiled her. She said he taught her every thing from how to cook to how to do basic upkeep on a car like checking/changing oil and changing tires. He advised her that when she got a job to save a minimum of $25 each paycheck. She said her and her dad had candid conversations about every thing but he never explained personal fi nances to her in detail. In fact, he shielded it from her. When he was living, he literally paid her bills. She was able to do whatev er she wanted with her money. Upon his death is when life got serious. She had to pay her own bills while trying to maintain the lifestyle she lived before she was respon sible to pay any bills.

She’s been learning the intricate details of how to manage her mon ey as she goes. She’s been having a hard time making ends meet since his death. I told her, right now we’re not living in normal times.

Money is tight for ev eryone these days due to inflation and the overall status of the economy. Then I said as you come to learn, money doesn’t come with instructions. I laid out a clear plan and action steps for her to take that will help her in her goal to feel more financially stable.

If I were to lay out some basic money in structions for all to heed, it would be this:

Free yourself first—You will not pros per financially if you’re living paycheck to paycheck. You need wiggle room in the budget for a number of things including saving, investing, aggressively paying off debt, and dealing with minor emergencies.

Thus avoiding liquidating the emergency fund or worse, digging a deeper hole by borrowing more and more money every time something unexpected comes up. My first recommendation is to have a min imum of 10 percent of your gross income FREE so that you can systematically build a solid financial foundation.

Use credit only when absolute ly necessary—The idea of using credit wisely is way too compromising. People will creatively justify their misuse of cred it as something noble and smart. When you take on the mindset of use credit only when absolutely necessary, it forces you to consider other options that are generally neglected such as do without, pay cash, and save until you have enough money to make the purchase.

Live below your means with a pur pose—The idea of living below your means simply does not appeal to most peo ple. When presented with the idea of liv ing below your means, most people conjure up images of boring, lonely, unfashionable people that sit in the house all day read ing books and doing crossword puzzles— wrong! People who’ve decided to live below their means are people who recognize that money is finite. Despite the fact there’s a limited amount of money flowing through our hands, we all have many responsibil ities, goals, and desires that have a price tag attached to them. When you choose to live below your means with a purpose, you begin to prioritize your responsibilities, goals and desires. You identify what’s most important to you and spend your money accordingly.

(Damon Carr, Money Coach can be reached

Knocking down barriers for first-time homebuyers

(Brandpoint)—Owning a home has long been an as piration for many people across America, and one of the most effective ways to build generational wealth.

Yet, due to the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, rising interest rates, and housing afford ability concerns, includ ing the lack of affordable housing supply, homeown ership may seem out of reach for many first-time homebuyers.

In addition, the United States continues to com bat the legacy of decades of discriminatory hous ing policies and practices, which have contributed to a major homeownership gap and disparities in so cioeconomic well-being among historically un derserved consumers and communities. Currently, the rate of Black home ownership is 30 percent age points lower than for white households – and is as high as it’s been in the past 50 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“The path to affordable quality rental housing and equitable access to sus tainable homeownership has never been equally accessible to all due to a legacy of discrimination in housing and the mort gage finance system in America,” said Katrina Jones, Fannie Mae’s Vice President of Racial Equi ty Strategy and Impact. “This is compounded by entrenched obstacles that perpetuate housing ineq uity, such as insufficient credit, a lack of savings for upfront security depos its or down payments to purchase a first home, and misinformation about the homebuying process.”

Now, through its Equi table Housing Finance Plan, Fannie Mae is help ing to address these ineq uities with new solutions for renters, prospective homebuyers, and existing homeowners in three key areas:

• Housing prepara tion: Helping Black con sumers prepare early for sustainable homeown ership and access to af

fordable, quality rental housing through credit building and financial ed ucation.

• Buying or rent ing: Removing unneces sary obstacles Black con sumers face as they shop for, rent, or purchase their first home.

• Moving in and main taining: Enhancing sus tainable housing so that renters and homeowners can withstand disruptions or temporary hardships and remain stably housed.

Education Empowers Everyone

For many, the homebuy ing process seems complex and it’s difficult to know where to start. No mat ter where consumers are on their housing journey, homeownership education can help aspiring home buyers feel prepared and empowered rather than overwhelmed. Fannie Mae’s HomeView is a free, online, comprehensive, and easy-to-follow edu cation course that helps consumers navigate the

ACHA-1686, HOUSING DEVELOPMENT PARTNER

The Allegheny County Housing Authority (ACHA) is seeking proposals from qualified developers as Housing Development Partners in the McKees Rocks Choice Neighborhoods Program. The selected partner will develop mixed-income and affordable housing in McKees Rocks, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The Developer(s) to be selected must have experience with low-income housing tax credits, HUD’s Choice Neighborhood program, mixed-finance and mixed-income housing development.

The Housing Development Partner will join the McKees Rocks Choice Neighborhoods planning effort and help guide the Transformation Plan describing the vision and plan for revitalization of the Hays Manor property in McKees Rocks. The selected developer will be encouraged to offer creative development and finance options to advance the goals established by the future Transformation Plan. It is the intention of the ACHA to pursue a Choice Neighborhood Implementation (CNI) grant upon completion of the Choice Transformation Plan at the end of 2023. The selected housing development partner will be a lead partner in the implementation grant application.

CONTACT PERSON: Ed Primm, Senior Project

homebuying process.

Available in both En glish and Spanish, Hom eView breaks down the homebuying process into seven simple steps and addresses common myths and misinformation, in cluding answering ques tions many first-time homebuyers have. Users also have access to check lists, financial calculators, and other free tools and information, which they can use anytime, as often as they want.

HomeView also meets the homeownership edu cation requirement need ed to qualify for many mortgage loans, including low down payment loans. Those who complete the course can earn a certifi cate of completion to share with their lender to meet that requirement.

“I encourage people who are considering buying a home to start the edu cation process early and

have that certificate ready to share with their lender to help them qualify for certain low down payment mortgage products. You can do this while you’re also working on building your credit, saving for a down payment, and other activities that HomeView recommends as you pre pare for homeownership,” said Jones.

Credit Building for Renters

During the HomeView course, users learn that credit history is an import ant factor for determining mortgage qualification. However, 20 percent of the U.S. population has little to no established credit history—a group in which Black and Latino consum ers are disproportionately represented.

In fact, Black consum ers identified insufficient credit as their single big gest obstacle to getting a mortgage and did so at

a much higher rate than white consumers (29 per cent to 18 percent), accord ing to a National Housing Survey study from Fannie Mae.

While credit history is a key element in evalu ating a borrower’s abil ity to make a mortgage payment, fewer than 10 percent of renters today have their monthly rent payments reported to the credit bureaus, putting many prospective firsttime homebuyers at a competitive disadvantage. Some organizations are recognizing this problem and taking steps to in clude rent payments his tories in their credit eval uation process.

For example, Fannie Mae launched a new fea ture last year that allows mortgage applicants who have paid rent for at least 12 months to use that payment history to help lenders qualify them for

a mortgage loan, even if those positive payments do not appear on their credit report. This helps to remove a barrier for firsttime homebuyers and in creases equitable access to homeownership opportu nities for consumers with limited credit histories.

“For aspiring homebuy ers, responsibility counts, reliability counts, and now rent counts. A solid rent payment history can open the door to homeowner ship for first-time home buyers,” Jones said.

Ask your lender if they offer this option or vis it FannieMae.com/Mak eRentCount to find a list of lenders near you who consider rent payment history in their mortgage qualification process.

Debt-to-Income ratio number matters

to-income ratio of 43 per cent or lower. Talking to a mortgage broker prior to starting the mortgage ap

plication process may help a borrower determine if his or her chosen lender offers such leeway. A borrower’s DTI ratio can be the big gest factor when a lender

decides whether to approve a mortgage application. Those who wish to increase their odds of loan approval may decide to lower their DTI by either increasing

their income or lowering their debt. This may make it easier for the lender and the underwriter to justify making a loan to the bor rower.

How to access your earnings history

It may have been years or even decades since you thought about how much you earned at your first job.  Did you know that you can find out how much you made that first year?  Or any year you worked? Your earnings history is a record of your progress toward your future Social Securi ty benefits.  We track your earnings so we can pay you the benefits you’ve earned over your lifetime.  That is why it’s so important for you to review your earn ings record.

You should review your earnings history and let us know if there are any errors or omissions, even though it’s your employer’s responsibility to provide accurate earnings informa tion to us..  Otherwise, you will not get credit for mon ey you paid in payroll taxes, and your future Social Se curity benefits will be low er than you should receive.  You’re the only person who can look at your lifetime earnings record and verify that it’s complete and cor rect.  If an employer didn’t properly report even just one year of your earnings to us, that error could re duce your future benefit payments.  Over your life time, that could cost you thousands of dollars in retirement or other bene

fits that you’re entitled to receive.  It’s important to identify and report errors as soon as possible.  If too much time passes, it could be hard for you to get older tax documents.  Also, some employers may no longer exist or be able to provide past payroll information.

The best way to verify your earnings record is to visit www.ssa.gov/myac count and create or sign in to your personal my So cial Security account.  You should review your earn ings carefully every year and confirm them using your own records, such as W-2s and tax returns.  Keep in mind that earnings from this year and last year may not be listed yet.  When you have a my Social Security account, we send you an email three months before your birthday to remind you to check your earnings and to get future benefit es timates.

You can find out how to correct your earnings re cord by reading our publi cation How to Correct Your Social Security Earnings Record at www.ssa.gov/ pubs/EN-05-10081.pdf. Start a conversation.  Ask a family member or friend what their first job was and let them know they can find out what they made that year.

The Woman King revisited

The Woman King, a film starring Viola Davis who re portedly advocated for the making of this film for at least six years, is king at the box office. It is highly lauded by African Americans and others across the country, but it is also maligned. It has drawn a wedge between differing camps in the Black community for various reasons.

The film tells a very complicated story that highlights the slave trade on the West Coast of Africa, Dahomey, and the fight to sustain it or prevent it, pitting two camps of Africans against each other.

This historical epic is inspired by true events that hap pened in the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most pow erful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. The main protagonists are a group of Black female warriors called the Agojie (also known as Ahosi (king’s wives), who have been compared to the all-female tribe of Am azons.

The film co-stars John Boyega, who played a pivotal role as the King of Dahomey. The warrior women were under his reign, and there were significant discussions around the slave trade as a cash cow for the Africans and the notion of finding another way to bring economic success to the region outside of the slave trade.

Throughout the film, Blacks were pitted against Blacks in dealing with the difficulties and contradictions aligned with the economy of the region; Blacks killed Blacks throughout the film.

On the other hand, the film has stirred controversy at home in the United States with Blacks pitted against Blacks once again. The biggest group in opposition to the film, but by no means the only group, is that of ADOS, American Descendants of Slavery. They are calling for a boycott of the film partially due to allegations that it doesn’t represent reality, that it is historically inaccurate.

There is also opposition because the movie was pro duced by a White woman, Maria Bello. This was a chief concern. But it is also suspect; there are many, MANY films produced by White people that have captured the attention and support of Blacks and Whites alike; “Black Panther” is one of those. It had its origins in the Marvel Comics franchise.

ADOS are not the only ones in opposition to the film and calling for a boycott. Others are using the same rationale, i.e., that it is not historically accurate.

In this regard, it appears that some of this opposition is based on a reluctance to depict Africans’ involvement in the slave trade. Others are upset because they say that women would not have been able to defeat male war riors. This is a fallacy since the Ahosi are on record for defeating their opponents bringing an end to Dahomey’s reliance upon the slave trade.

With this aside, the movie was very well acted, was beautiful and had several ironic twists. The scenery was gorgeous, and the cultural aspects were spectacular. It is akin to the “Black Panther” film, but from another per spective, in that it is based on actual events.

Question: is it necessary for entertainment that tells an important story to have 100 percent accuracy? How many other films can boast that there are no inaccura cies depicted? Was “Roots” 100 percent accurate?

More importantly, this movie is like the “Black Panther” in another regard; how can you go wrong if you have Black people in a beautiful setting interacting with each other and winning, revealing incidents and activities that many did not even know existed?

Just the mere fact that the movie depicted the magnif icence and strength of African women alone has had a positive impact on the morale of Black women; how can you go wrong with that?

Basically, the economic engine fueled by this film is enough to warrant its continued distribution. For too long African Americans have complained about the lack of in clusion in films. Yet people are calling for a boycott of one of the most successful films of the year featuring Black people and their issues. This is a repeat of those calling for the boycott of the movie “Harriet,” because Cynthia Erivo, the star, was not born in the U.S.

This activity is ridiculous and needs to stop! If you don’t want to see the film, don’t support it, but don’t try to keep others from seeing it. Let people make up their own minds! Those who are acting as Black culture “gatekeepers” are demonstrating the kind of backward thinking that is seen in the current trend to ban Black books, and the 1619 Project! Cease and desist this coun terproductive, anti-economic trend! A Luta Continua. (Reprinted from the Chicago Crusader)

The right time

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—As I write, we are less than fifty days from the midterm elections.  I do not feel hyperbolic at all when I say that this election is, and will be, the most consequential in our lifetimes. While consequential, the options given to us as voters require little debate as to the future direction we should choose for the nation.  Having only two major political parties, realisti cally, we have an either-or decision.

The time is right for an extended discussion of what our decisions will mean for our futures.  In the next several weeks, I will address the falsehoods which grow more numer ous each day and offer perspectives designed to stimulate reader curiosi ty, critical thinking, and enthusiasm to participate in the coming election.

First, let me acknowledge that there are no PERFECT POLITI CAL PARTIES.  Our two parties and their members have faults and flaws.  If an individual voter is unwilling to vote for a candidate or party because of a perceived im perfection, this election gives the perfect alibi for not voting.  But for those who deal in reality and under stand that politics will never yield perfection, this election presents the challenge of voting for or against predicted or foreshadowed policies that have the potential to alter our lives beyond our current comprehen sion.  This is the only election in my memory where we must earnestly resist the urge to reject the good for the lack of perfection.

What’s new in this electoral cycle is the Republican Party’s “Commit ment to America.”  This is the closest

tive impact of their $1.9 trillion tax cut which favored the wealthy.  The $4000 trickle-down which was supposed to happen for the average worker did not happen.  They over saw the economic protection of the wealthy and left “the others” to fend for themselves.

they have come to offering a policy statement which presents their “comprehensive legislative plan” for the nation since before 2012.  House Republican Leader Kevin McCa rthy presented the “Commitment to America” which, typical to their party, is long on rhetoric and short on substance.

The roll-out to their “Commit ment” was a ‘homey’ affair replete with country music, an industrialist supporter/sponsor, the Republican House Leadership of McCarthy, Steve Scalise, and Elise Stefanik, and a group of House Republicans including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jim Jordan.  Admittedly, I found that the presentation and audience questions/responses seemed canned and riddled with exaggeration, misrepresentations, and lies.  In his presentation McCarthy stated that the Republican goals were to provide to America and Americans “An Economy That’s Strong, A Nation That’s Safe, A Future That’s Built on Freedom, and A Government That’s Accountable.” These goals sound important and reasonable, but we need to compare conduct with performance.

During the Trump years of Repub lican congressional control I can’t remember complaints of the nega

National Safety is a mantra that, like many of the Republican complaints, seems to be situa tional.  They purport to be strong supporters of law officers and en forcement yet, while they oppose the language of BLM, they have decried the FBI and have called for its de funding.  While all of the Republican Members of Congress live under the protection of the Capitol Police, they ignore the impact of the January 6th insurrection and the lawlessness of the former president, belying their commitment to Government Ac countability.

Their commitment to A Future Built on Freedom is immersed in their culture war.  While they abridge rights that were gained over two centuries of civic struggle and threaten the personal security of women and persons of color, they demonstrate that the only wor thy freedoms are those they agree with.  Under the guise of freedom, they revise history, reject public health instructions, and approve the correctness of selected conduct and thoughts.   This is a commitment I can live without.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams, President of The Dick Gregory Society, United Nations Peace Ambassador.  (drefayewilliams.com; The dickgregorysociety.org)

Black wombs matter: See Aftershock

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Did you know that Black women are three or four times more likely to die from childbirth complications than White women? Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL), who heads the Congressional Black Caucus Health Brain trust, says the data are direr depending on where a mother lives. In Illinois, Black women are six times as likely to die. In New York, Black women are ten times as likely to die. And it’s not just Black women. With a significant Indigenous population in Washington state, those women are eight times as likely to die as White women!

The issue of Black maternal health care is tackled in the film, Aftershock, which can be seen on Hulu.  Produced by Tonya Lewis Lee and Paula Eiselt, the film features families directly and painfully impacted by how Black women are treated as they deliver chil dren. The Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Forum featured several brain trust meetings on health, including one titled, Creating Mater nal Health Care Systems that Believe and Protect Black Women. It featured clips from Aftershock and included panelists affected by the Black mater nal health crisis.

Shawnee Benton Gibson, whose daughter Shamony Makeba Gibson died from complications from child birth only thirteen days after she gave birth to her son. She complained of pain, shortness of breath, and more, but health care providers told her these were “natural” childbirth symptoms. She was only rushed to the hospital to die when she could not move. Later, it was shown that health care providers ignored vital signs of her increasingly poor health. She died from medical indifference and incom petence.

Julianne Malveaux

Commentary

Also featured in the film were Omari Maynard, Shamony’s partner who is now raising two children alone, and Bruce McIntyre III, whose partner Amber Rose Isaac, who died after an emergency C Section. He says her death is the result of “medical negli gence” and has joined several others in shining light on this pandemic of Black maternal health.

Aftershock lifts the importance of doula (pregnancy coaches and advo cates) and midwives, an essential part of maternal health. It also looks at the criminalization of midwives and those who eschew traditional birthing. Some midwives have been criminally prosecuted for bringing healthy babies into the world.

The film also highlights the racist or igins of the OB/GYN medical specialty. Developed by a sadist White physician, James Marion Sims, the specialty has its roots in experiments on enslaved Black women. Indeed, the lie that Black people can withstand enormous pain is rooted in enslavement and the brutal way Black women were experi mented on.

Because Sims believed Black women could stand all kinds of pain, he con ducted painful experiments without anesthesia. Really? Yet some medical professionals continue to laud his work, and until 2018 a statue cele brating him was part of New York’s Central Park. His defenders say he was just a product of his times, but it

is clear that he not only experimented on enslaved women that he owned but also purchased women to experiment on them. I reject the notion that Sims was a product of his times. He was a sadistic brute who denied Black wom en’s very humanity.

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-Ill), the youngest member of the Congressional Black Caucus, has introduced the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, an essential step to ward eliminating the treatment Black women experience as they give birth.

A twelve-part comprehensive piece of legislation, the act includes expansion of mental health services for mothers, telehealth for new moms, increased data collection, and funding for com munity-based organizations working on maternal health issues. Supported by more than 250 organizations, in cluding the American Nurses Associa tion, the Association of Black Women Physicians, the Center for American Progress, the Children’s Defense Fund, Families USA, the NAACP, and others, the legislation has more than 30 Con gressional co-sponsors. The legislation has yet to pass the House of Represen tatives, and it is unlikely to pass the parsimonious Senate. People can get involved by reminding their legislative representatives of the importance of this Momnibus Act.

Shawnee Benton Gibson, Shomany’s mom, said that if Black Lives Matter, then Black Wombs must also matter. She has turned the pain of her daugh ter’s death into powerful advocacy for Black maternal health. She is among the many, including Congresswomen Robin Kelly, Lauren Underwood, and many others, who must be applauded for addressing this issue. Black Wombs matter. Watch Aftershock!

It’s time for more than ‘Telling It Like It Is’

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—When reading, watching or listening to most of the commentary By Black columnists, editorial writers, tele vision and radio talk show hosts, politicians, educators, playwrights, songwriters, etc., I remember a col umn I wrote 13 years ago.

Entitled “Telling It Like It Is Is Not Enough,” it included the following: “By the mid-1970s right up to today, too many of the above-mentioned communicators have used the slogan “Tell Like It Is” not as a tool for mo tivating, enlightening or educating Black folks but as one with which to excite and titillate Whites and too many Blacks. And sense this is the message that their film and play producers, record companies, book publishers, and magazine and news paper editors want they are amply rewarded.”

I also noted that in “newspaper

A. Peter Bailey Commentary

after newspaper columns, maga zine after magazine columns, movie after movie, play after play, book after book, song after song, they reinforced stereotypes of Black communities, especially those in urban areas. For instance, if they have to decide whether to focus their commentary on the young dude who takes the easy route of becoming a weapon of destruction in his com munity or the one next door to him who resist that path and becomes a

positive force in his community, the commentators far too often focus on the former in their coverage. When criticized for pandering to White ste reotypes, the perpetrators respond with an indignant ‘What’s your prob lem? I just tell it like it is.’”

People in those Black communities can see that by themselves. What they need are honest commentators, including preachers who, at least sometimes, tell them like it can be, like it should be, like it must be if they seriously desire to improve Black communities.

In doing that, concerned Black commentators will make a major contribution in helping Black folks to promote and protect our health, economics, cultural, educational, political, technological, legal and communications interests in a basi cally White supremacist society.

Black women holding Trump accountable

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Former Presi dent Donald Trump has spent a lifetime getting away with things. Rich and will ing to use an army of lawyers to defend his abuses and bully people he has wronged into submission, Trump is a prime exam ple of the inequities in our justice system.

But that could all be changing, thanks to two courageous Black women who are not intimidated by his insults and public bullying.

One of them is New York Attorney Gen eral Letitia “Tish” James. She has been leading an investigation into a “stag gering” amount of financial fraud she charges that Trump has committed over the years.

After trying everything he could to avoid it, Trump appeared in her office in August to answer questions. But the only ques tion he answered was about his name. For every other question—more than 400 oth er times—he invoked his right under the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment to avoid incriminating himself.

In September, after interviewing dozens of people and reviewing millions of pages of documents, James’s office filed a law suit against Trump and his three adult children who have been in business with him—Ivanka, Don Jr., and Eric. The suit asks them to forfeit $250 million in ill-got ten gains and seeks to prevent them from doing business in New York for the im mediate future. She told a reporter that the lawsuit shows how Trump repeatedly lied about the value of his properties “to unjustly enrich himself and to cheat the system, thereby cheating all of us.”

Trump responded in his typical fashion. He called James a “racist.” He called her investigation “the greatest witch hunt in

Ben Jealous

Commentary

the history of the country.”

Now, anyone who has followed Trump’s interactions with Black women who call him on his…stuff…knows that this is part of a pattern with Black women who see through him and aren’t afraid to speak truth.

Trump’s disgusting record of insult ing and smearing activists like Stacey Abrams, public officials like Vice Pres ident Kamala Harris, Rep. Maxine Wa ters and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser—and journalists like April Ryan, Abby Phillips, and Yamiche Alcindor— was recently reviewed by Kaly Hollo way for The Daily Beast, which said that James’s lawsuit “is bringing the ex-pres ident’s racism and sexism back into the spotlight.”

James is not the only fearless Black woman seeking to hold Trump account able. In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is conducting a crim inal investigation of Team Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the presidential election in Georgia.

Remember that phone call a few days before the attack on the Capitol? Trump was desperately trying to overturn his de feat by Joe Biden. Trump, his chief of staff Mark Meadows, and a bunch of Trump attorneys got on the phone with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Trump demanded that Raffensperger “find” him enough votes to flip the elec tion to him.

Unethical? Definitely. Illegal? Very like ly. It’s against the law in Georgia to solicit election fraud. And that phone call was just part of the Trump team’s efforts, which included the creation of a fake set of pro-Trump electors. Trump’s efforts in Georgia included false charges of election fraud against two Black women election workers. When Trump and his allies re peated those smears, the women’s lives were disrupted by threats and harass ment. According to news reports, Willis’s investigation could lead to a multi-defen dant racketeering case.

Trump, predictably, has called the Geor gia investigation a “witch hunt.” But Willis has taken on murderers and drug gangs, and she is not afraid of Trump or his insults.

Trump’s record in business and politics suggests that the truth means nothing to him. He acts as if he believes the law does not apply to him. He acts as if his wealth and power and lawyers will continue to let him get away with anything.

It is important that we as Americans affirm the principle that no person—even the country’s most powerful person—is above the law.

There is good news on that front. There are multiple investigations into Trump’s wrongdoing. I am grateful for the work being done by Tish James and Fani Wil lis, by the House select committee investi gating Jan. 6, by staff at the U.S. Depart ment of Justice, and by journalists who are willing to dig for the truth.

Truth is the first step toward account ability, accountability that in Trump’s case is long overdue.

(Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.)

Why is ‘duty to retreat’ superior to ‘stand your ground?’

Self-defense laws required a “duty to retreat”. Meaning a threatened person could not harm another, especially with deadly force, if there was an opportunity to flee. The threatened person had to be trapped or cornered.

In 2005, Florida became the first state to remove any “duty to retreat”. By 2012, 19 other states did the same. These laws be came known as “stand your ground”. Today, there are 38 “stand your ground” states.

But what was wrong with a “duty to retreat”?

Too often, people were found guilty of crimes ranging from battery to manslaugh ter because they didn’t retreat “far enough” to meet the legal definition of self-defense. “Stand your ground” laws give the benefit of the doubt to the threatened person.

In 2012, “stand your ground” laws were nationally scrutinized after a Black teenag er was fatally shot in Florida by a commu nity watch volunteer who claimed he acted in self-defense. The national media reported that an unarmed Black teen was shot and killed by a White man who wasn’t arrested by the police due to Florida’s “stand your ground” laws. At this juncture, “stand your ground” critics claimed there was racial bias in the application of the law.

John Roman, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center, conducted a study examining racial disparities in “jus tifiable homicides”. The FBI’s data revealed that the killing of Black people by Whites was more likely to be considered justified than the killing of White people by Blacks.  Roman emphasized that these figures don’t prove bias because the data doesn’t show the circumstances behind the killings.

Unfortunately, that fact didn’t matter to those that opposed “stand your ground” because they were convinced disparities between Blacks and Whites were caused by racism.

John Lott Jr., president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, insisted “stand your ground” laws were not racially biased but were beneficial to Black people. Lott Jr. said, “Blacks are more likely to be successful in making claims using “stand your ground” than any other racial group. Blacks who live in high-crime urban areas are the people most likely to be victims of violent crime in the United States.”

Since Lott Jr.’s argument centered around Black-on-Black crime, he was accused of ignoring the racial disparities, even though the FBI data on interracial violence showed between 2012 and 2015, there were 540,360 felonious assaults committed by Blacks on Whites, while Whites committed 91,470 felonious assaults on Blacks.

The overemphasis on racial disparities overshadowed a Texas A&M study that revealed the rates of murder and non-neg ligent manslaughter increased by 8 percent in “stand your ground” states. (That’s 600 additional homicides per year) The Texas A&M researchers didn’t have an explana

tion for this increase, but it’s possible the absence of “duty to retreat” has been misin terpreted as the “permission to use force” in response to any perceived threat.

For example, in August, Marc Wilson, a 23-year-old Black man, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old White girl in Geor gia. Wilson stated he was driving down the highway with his girlfriend, who is White, when a truck load of White people started yelling racial slurs at them and tried to run them off the road. Wilson pulled out his gun, which he was legally permitted to carry, and shot.

Wilson’s lawyers believed Wilson’s actions were covered by Georgia’s “stand your ground” laws, which allows the use of deadly force based on a “reasonable belief” that such force was necessary to prevent death or bodily injury.

However, Wilson’s girlfriend testified that she didn’t hear any racist language and that she urged her boyfriend to put the gun away.

It was the girlfriend’s testimony that turned the jury against Wilson, but critics are claiming “stand your ground” laws do not work for Black people.

Rev. James Woodland, former state presi dent of Georgia NAACP, described Wilson’s case as a “public lynching” and insisted, “If Black people cannot stand their ground as well, then nobody should be able to.”

If Woodland truly wants “stand your ground” eliminated, then he needs to explain why self-defense with “duty to retreat” requirements are superior to “stand your ground” laws instead of talking about lynchings.

Dock Fielder— The most dedicated man to ever represent Blacks as an elected Democrat

As a youngster in the early 1940s, I met Dock Fielder and we grew up together at the Ammon Recreation Center, swimming pool, ball field, etc. Dock lived in the upper Hill (5th ward) and I lived in the lower Hill (3rd ward). Dock was influenced and introduced to politics by the top “colored” politician in Allegheny County, 5th Ward Chairman Pappy Williams. Time does not stand still and the Fielder family moved to the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh and established himself in the Little Italy sec tion of Larimer Avenue, as a person not just of toughness, but concern and conviction, particularly when the issues involved col ored people (we were not called Black yet).

I registered in 1952 and became an active Republican for the next 25 years. It was a major concern of mine about the political process wherever colored persons lived in numbers such as the Hill District, East Liberty, Homewood, Hazelwood, etc. In the early sixties Dock and I became reacquaint ed and I was tremendously impressed with a number of positive accomplishments that had taken place because of Dock. The civil rights movement was at its peak and I watched, listened, and saw a Black man who was fearless and his priority was you and me. Others refused to challenge “old master” out of fear and no commitment. Now it’s the seventies and my wife and I bought a house in the 12th ward. I vividly recall a public meeting on a Saturday and the Ward Chairman said it is not clear if he will run for reelection. Dock Fielder walked to the microphone and stated, “I will make

Louis ‘Hop’ Kendrick To Tell The Truth

up your mind for you. It is time for a Black man to represent the 12th Ward,” and we just roared. Dock Fielder was elected Chairman.

I became Dock’s left hand man; Tom Martinelli was his lifetime right hand man. Dock became the highest-ranking Black in Allegheny County as the Assistant to Com missioner Tom Forester.

Over Dock’s career he was responsible for an untold number of persons becoming employed, retiring with pensions and health insurance. There was a former county em ployee who approached Dock one day and said to the four of us standing there, “Do you know who you are talking to?” Before we could answer he said, “See that young lady in my car? That is my daughter who is a college student and that is my house across the street and I receive a pension check every month because of the many you are talking to, Dock Fielder.”

I recall being in Dock’s office one day and a lady walked in and asked could she speak to Mr. Fielder, and before I could answer she explained to me that she had just grad

uated from Pitt with a PhD and went on explaining to me that because her father was a friend of Dock’s she had been hired by Allegheny County’s health department and she was able to go to college.

Dock respected persons, not titles or positions. I know first hand because I have sat in a number of meetings with him. There has never been a Black Democrat that can equal Dock’s accomplishments. Over the years I have heard many colored critics question Dock’s lack of degrees and articulation, but never fail to call him when a problem arose.

These two examples of employment could be multiplied by an unbelievable number and thousands of problems solved. The word across the county was when you have a problem call Dock Fielder. In the elec tion of Allegheny County Commissioners in 1995, the Democrat candidate made a public statement that he could win without Black voters. Dock Fielder led the fight to defeat that Democrat and was successful in electing the Republicans. It was the first time in history that the 12th Ward voted Republican.

I have known every person of color to be elected to council, legislature, ward chair man and those that White persons appoint ed “HNIC”, beginning in 1956.

This column was written on a Sunday and it came to my attention that those of you who are familiar with the bible will recollect that the Master’s favorite was King David, who was a perfect example of “there are none perfect, no not one.”

Appreciating a former president

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Maintaining positive traditions has always been a critical piece of our American society. They help to form the foundations of our families and society. Traditions reinforce values such as freedom, faith, integrity, a good education, personal responsibility, a strong work ethic, and the importance of being selfless. Continuing traditions be comes a form of respect and remembrance for the struggles and sacrifices of those before us. Traditions offer the chance to say “thank you” for past contributions and to celebrate diversity while uniting us as a country. In 2012, President Obama used the White House portrait unveiling tra dition to show the nation some degree of cross-party appreciation. When referring to George W. Bush, he said, “We may have our differences politically, but the presi dency transcends those differences.”

Last month Barack and Michelle Obama finally returned to the White House for the unveiling of their official White House portraits. After 10 years, it brought back the long-standing tradi tion of a first-term president welcoming a predecessor—regardless of party—to the White House to unveil their official portraits. Before Obama and Bush, Bush hosted the Clintons in 2004, and the Clintons hosted George H.W. and Barba ra Bush in 1995. It was a tradition that did not take place during the Trump years. It is easy to allow rituals to become trivialized or even forgotten, but the Obama unveiling held added historical significance. While the true reason for

Commentary

stalling Obama’s portrait process in 2017 may never be made public, the message is clear. It was disrespectful not only to the Obamas but to the office Trump held. At a time of political and racial divisions, it denied the nation a rare moment of harmony and camaraderie. It also set the wrong tone because recognizing the first Black family to occupy the White House represents a prideful moment for citizens of color. President Biden is a man of tradition. By inviting the Obamas back to the White House for their unveiling ceremony, Biden showed that it is never too late to appreciate a former president. The most recent president to not attend an official portrait unveiling was Jim my Carter, who requested not to have a ceremony. Jimmy Carter is a different and selfless man. We should appreciate former president Carter more each day, especially when we hear the daily news about former president Trump.

Jimmy Carter is the oldest living former president; he celebrated his 98th birthday on the first day of October. Many would say his greatest achievements were ac complished after leaving the presidency.

The former Democratic president is re

vered for championing human rights and democracy through The Carter Center, which he founded along with his wife, Ro salynn. The Carter Center has worked to advance democracy by monitoring foreign elections and reducing diseases in devel oping countries. In 2002, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for pushing for global peace. Even at 95, Carter taught Sunday school and continued his work with Hab itat for Humanity as an active, hands-on construction volunteer. Throughout the years, the former president and his wife have worked alongside 104,000 volun teers in 14 countries to build, renovate, and repair 4,390 homes. People would come to Plains, Georgia, from around the world to hear his Sunday school lessons.

He is a living example of a great leader and humanitarian by demonstrating no matter what career we choose or how old we are, we can always make a meaning ful contribution to our community and country. He described his motivations by saying, “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something…My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wher ever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.” He chose not to have the type of recognition that goes with being a former president. And while current poli ticians try so hard to be the next Trump, where are the future Jimmy Carters?

(David W. Marshall is the founder of the faithbased organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body, and author of the book God Bless Our Divided America. He can be reached at www.davidwmar shallauthor.com.)

ALLEGHENY COUNTY

OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION

Overview: The

Women, and Disadvantaged

Enterprise

certifies business enterpris

as disadvantaged (per Code of

Regulations (CFR)

Parts 23 &

and provide services and resources to help them grow their business.

Office Clerk

clients; Answers the telephone, responds to inquiries, or routes

calls and takes messages for office staff; Operates office machines such as photocopies and scanners; Performs data entry; Scans documents into document control system; Completes other administrative tasks as necessary. Must be proficient in Microsoft Windows and Office Suite.

Contract Compliance Specialist

The Contract Compliance Specialist will monitor contracts to ensure that MWDBEs are provided the maximum opportunity to obtain and perform on county contracts while in compliance with Allegheny County’s goals. The specialist will also provide outreach and technical assistance to the business community. In addition, the Contract Compliance Specialist will review and vet prime contractors’ MWDBE inclusion plans for various types of contracts (i.e., construction, services, supplies, etc.) . The specialist will monitor MWDBE commitments and utilization through contract completion, address, and monitor MWDBE concerns and assist in conflict resolution if necessary.

Residency: Must become a resident of Allegheny County within one (1) year of appointment.

Veterans’ Preference: Will be awarded to eligible candidates.

Applicants must possess and maintain a valid Pennsylvania Driver’s License throughout employment.

Please see career page for further information and eligibility requirements at: www.alleghenycounty.us/careers

DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION at East Liberty Presbyterian Church. See full job description and application information at https://cathedralofhope.org/careers/.

MARKETING ASSOCIATE

Pittsburgh Regional Transit is seeking a Marketing Associate to provide support to management with marketing pass sales, projects and events.

Essential Functions:

• Supports the development and coordination of internal/external special events. Represents Pittsburgh Regional Transit at community events and department meetings, as needed.

• Assists in growing Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s pass and ticket retail network, as well as working closely with current vendors to provide informational updates and assist with day-to-day requests.

• Assists in the planning/development of internal and external marketing/ awareness campaigns and promotions. Coordinates distribution of materials and supports other efforts for marketing programs including Job Perks, On the Move, Connect Rewards and others.

Job requirements include:

• High School Diploma or GED.

• BA/BS degree in Marketing, Communications, Business or directly related field from an accredited school. Experience in marketing, business, and advertising may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis.

• Minimum of three (3) years experience in marketing or advertising.

• Demonstrated ability in the use of Microsoft Windows & Microsoft Word, Excel, & PowerPoint.

• Effective and professional communication skills with all levels of employees including executive level management.

Preferred attributes:

• Extensive knowledge of Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s various modes of transportation and services.

• Internet-savvy.

• Ability to work well in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities.

MANAGER – CLIENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT

HM Health Solutions Inc. d/b/a enGen, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, has work-at-home Manager –Client Project Management position (w/ability to telecommute w/approp. telecommuting sys.) responsible for managing team of prjct mgmt professionals & providing oversight to group of prjct mngrs for delivery of IT prjcts w/in their domain. Apply at https://careers.highmarkhealth.org, using keyword “J210851”

MANAGER, DATA ANALYTICS

Highmark Inc., headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA has work-at-home Manager, Data Analytics position (w/ability to telecommute w/approp. telecommuting sys; remote worksite must be w/in commuting distance of Pittsburgh, PA for weekly trips to corp. office) responsible for providing leadership for analytic efforts, incl. complex studies, simulations, & testing to develop & implement bus. plans, policies, & procedures rltd to BI solutions. Apply at https://careers.highmarkhealth.org using keyword “J210868”.

HM Health Solutions Inc. d/b/a enGen, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, has work-at-home Strategy Consultant position (w/ability to telecommute w/approp. telecommuting sys.) to design & execute analytics to study bus. & tech. ops & identify platform imprvmnt opportunities. Apply at https://careers.highmarkhealth.org, using keyword “J210606”.

SENIOR CONSULTANT

Highmark Health, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA has work-at-home Senior Consultant position (w/ability to telecommute w/approp. telecommuting sys.; remote worksite must be w/in commuting distance of Pittsburgh, PA for weekly trips to corp. office) to be responsible for driving customer value thru client-facing advisory & delivery services in support of our prdct offerings. Responsibilities incl. gathering data; & analyzing, IDing, & prblm slvng from info. sets. Apply at https://careers.highmarkhealth.org, using keyword “J210866”.

SENIOR INFORMATION SECURITY ENGINEER

HM Health Solutions Inc. d/b/a enGen, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, has work-at-home Senior Information Security Engineer position (w/ability to telecommute w/approp. telecommuting sys.) responsible for planning, researching, evaluating, designing, & dvlpng Info. Security & Risk Mgmt (ISRM) Infrastructure sys. by applying engineering, hrdwr & sftwr design theories & principles to dvlp a compatible sys. infrastructure. Apply at https://careers.highmarkhealth.org, using keyword “J210853”.

APPLICATION DEVELOPER

HM Health Solutions Inc. d/b/a enGen, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, has work-at-home Application Developer position (w/ability to telecommute w/approp. telecommuting sys.) to be responsible for analyzing, designing, coding, testing, & implementing app. enhancements w/no supervision. Apply at https://careers.highmarkhealth.org, using keyword “J210608”.

HM Health Solutions Inc. d/b/a enGen, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, has work-at-home Senior Portfolio Analyst position (w/ability to telecommute w/approp. telecommuting sys.) to be responsible for supporting consulting & technical services to internal & external customers acrss Highmark enterprise. Spec. duties incl. providing guidance & expert advice to mgmt or other groups on tech., sys., or prcss-rltd topics. Apply at https://careers.highmarkhealth. org, using keyword “J210860”.

SOFTWARE ENGINEER

HM Health Solutions Inc. d/b/a enGen, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, has work-at-home Software Engineer position (w/ability to telecommute w/approp. telecommuting sys.; remote worksite must be w/in commuting distance of Pittsburgh, PA for weekly trips to corp. office) responsible for analyzing, designing, coding, testing, & implementing app. enhancements w/no supervision. Apply at https://careers.highmarkhealth.org, using keyword “J210864”.

SYSTEMS ANALYST – EXPERT (ORACLE E-BUSINESS SUITE)

– UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside

seeks a Systems Analyst – Expert (Oracle E-Business Suite) to work in Pittsburgh, PA and Warrendale, PA (Allegheny County). Oversee all phases of the software development, and design, develop, and support current and new software applications using Oracle eBusiness Suite development tools in support of UPMC’s HC Pharmacy function. Must have a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Engineering or a related field, plus five (5) years of progressive Systems Analysis, Software Engineering or related experience developing and extending RICE components using SQL and PL/SQL; creating reports using Report Builder, XML Publisher and BIRT; preparing Functional Design and Technical Design documents; studying and auditing existing business process and preparing issue logs; collecting functional/technical requirements; employing GAP Analysis and technical data mapping analysis; designing technical/functional data process flow charts; utilizing end-to-end business cycles (i.e. P2P, O2C, Drop Ship, Back to Back Order, Move Order and Consigned PO); employing Tuning SQL statements to improve execution performance; utilizing the following tools and technologies: ERP Applications, Oracle EBS /11i, Oracle 11g/10g/9i/8i, SQL Developer, TOAD, SQL *Loader, SQL*Plus, Putty, Win SCP, Report6i, Form6i/9i, XML Publisher, Eclipse, Workflow Builder, VSS, HP PPM, HP ALM, UNIX /LINUX, Form Personalization, Work Flow, Technical SCM and Finance Modules. Some telecommuting permissible. Apply by following these steps; visit http://careers.upmc.com and enter 220003BB in the “Search Keyword/Job ID” field and click Go. EOE/Disability/Veteran.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE POSITION OF FIREFIGHTER FOR THE ALTOONA FIRE DEPARTMENT Applications for Firefighter for the City of Altoona can be obtained from the Human Resources Office in City Hall at 1301 12th Street, Suite 400, Altoona, PA 16601; between 8:30 A.M. and 4:30 P.M., Monday through Friday. For additional information and requirements, please visit www.altoonapa.gov/employment Completed applications must be received in the Human Resources Department no later than NOON ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2022. The City of Altoona is an Equal Opportunity Employer

SOUTH FAYETTE TWP.

SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a: CLASSROOM PARAEDUCATOR Applications must be received by 4:00 PM October 11, 2022 Complete job descriptions and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org

RAIL AND FACILITIES ADMINISTRATOR

Pittsburgh Regional Transit is seeking a Rail and Facilities Administrator to establish, coordinate and administer facilities and rail systems information, as it applies to preventive maintenance procedures/ checklists, equipment data and warranty programs. Conduct analysis, verifies, and collects asset data and provide administrative support to the department manager.

Essential Functions:

• Compiles, verifies, and distributes preventive maintenance information.

Verifies asset preventive maintenance data and identifies and verifies assets.

Write PM procedures and schedules.

Prepares weekly reports for upper management. (Compiles = Going onsite to examine existing asset and record asset information)

Assets are located anywhere across PRT properties (all properties, LRT track, busways, and any facility) for PRT’s Transit Asset Management (TAM) plan.

• Participates with Manager in providing User training for employees interacting with the asset management database.

• Compiles information from Technical Support Division and maintains records pertaining to newly purchased or installed assets as per TAM plan (i.e., AC Units etc.) to warranty equipment and material. Tracks and keeps records of failures and related labor costs. Generates and distributes reports regarding warranty claims of assets.

Job requirements include:

• Two (2) year technical degree/ Associate Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business or Communications or directly related field from an accredited school and (1) year of experience working in an administrative capacity.

• Two (2) years of experience in a customer service role (Customer Service is now a key component based on the directive of the new strategic plan)

• Minimum of three (3) years of experience working in facilities maintenance, preventive maintenance, or warranty claims. Directly related education may be substituted for the experience on a year-for-year basis.

• Must attend and successfully complete any job-related training as determined by department management.

• Strong computer and statistical analysis skills using a computerized maintenance information system.

• Must be able to work on off shifts.

• Demonstrated ability in the use of Microsoft Windows Word, Power Point and Excel.

• Effective and professional communication skills.

Preferred attributes:

• Experience with a Work Order System.

• Experience in developing work

TRANSIT POLICE OFFICER

Pittsburgh Regional Transit (Port Authority of Allegheny County Police Department) is seeking full-time Transit Police Officers. A Transit Police Officer is responsible for ensuring the safety of Port Authority customers, staff, and property throughout the areas it serves. Officers must enforce all local, state, and federal laws on and around our transit system.

Port Authority of Allegheny County Police Department applicant testing is one three-hour session, the written police officer exam (POST) and the fitness exam will be administered on the same day. Tentative testing dates: Thursday, October 27, 2022, at 12:00 PM, and Saturday, October 29, 2022, at 8:00 AM.

Transit Police Officer Wage Pro gression Schedule: year one$48,644; year two - $55,130; year three - $64,959.

Job requirements include:

• High School Diploma or GED.

• Valid PA Driver’s License.

• Current Act 120 certification or candidate must successfully pass the Act 120 certification test prior to employment.

• Successful completion of administered written Police Officer exam.

• Successful completion of administered fitness exam.

• Basic clerical skills.

• Ability to observe and analyze situations objectively and respond appropriately.

• Ability to handle emotionally charged situations.

• Ability to act quickly and calmly in emergency situations.

• Professional and effective communication skills to include:

• Ability to communicate orally and in writing in a clear and concise manner.

• Ability to understand and execute oral and written instructions.

• Successfully complete/maintain the following required training:

• Yearly firearm qualifications with a department-authorized firearm.

• Maintain Basic First Aid and CPR/ AED Certification.

• Yearly mandatory in-service training.

• Job-specific training, as required.

• Ability to work various shifts, pass days, weekends/holidays, as required.

• This is a Safety-Sensitive position subject to all testing provisions under the Drug and Alcohol Policy, including random drug and alcohol testing. The person selected for this position may be required to be tested prior to being awarded the job.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit offers a competitive compensation and benefits package including medical, dental, and vision. Transit Police Officers are eligible for a defined contribution plan which consists of two components: a 401(a) Money Purchase Plan and a 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan. Tuition Reimbursement and comprehensive training opportunities are also available. Interested candidates should for ward a cover letter and resume to:

Amy Giammanco

Pittsburgh Regional TransitEmployment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 agiammanco@portauthority.org EOE

a

We

Alex

HM Health Solutions Inc. d/b/a enGen, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, has work-at-home Senior Information Security Engineer position (w/ability to telecommute w/approp. telecommuting sys.) to conduct root cause analysis to identify & resolve complex prblms. Will implmnt, monitor, configure & maintain Sailpoint & conduct studies of ISRM infrastructure prfrmnc & traffic analysis. Apply at https://careers.highmarkhealth.org, using keyword “J210610”

Pittsburgh Regional Transit is seeking a Contract Specialist –Professional Services to actively strategize and facilitate the development of Requests for Proposals (RFP)

Provide end user department with services, guidance, coordination and consultation to identify procurement objectives and methodologies based upon policy and procedures to secure professional service agreements and provide contract administration support for such agreements. To assist Pittsburgh Regional Transit in preparing for and responding to various State, Local, and Federal Audits. Provide support to the Manager of Contract Administration – Professional Services.

Essential Functions:

Oversees, implement, and prepares RFP solicitations according to procedures mandated by the State, Federal Transit Administration (FTA), or other agencies; including, but not limited to:

• Coordinates the internal review process for the routing and approval of RFPs and contracts

• Schedule, coordinate, and conducts pre-proposal meetings; prepares and distributes records of pre-proposal meetings to interested parties.

• Facilitating the receipt of RFP questions, review, and prepare responses to requests for clarification.

• Budget coordination, boilerplate development, scope of work development and RFP preparation.

• Performing as the Port Authority’s designated contact for the proposal solicitation process.

• Directing the activities of the Evaluation Committees and the RFP Evaluation process.

Job requirements include:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or related field from an accredited school. Contract Administration experience may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis.

• Minimum of five (5) years’ contract administration experience procuring capital and non-capital contracts including preparing request for proposals, bid documents, negotiations, administering awards, contracts and preparing requisitions.

• Experience utilizing a Purchasing/ Inventory software system with regard to purchase orders and bid processes.

• Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills with the ability to work well in a team environment.

• Strong organizational, time management, multi-tasking capacities, detail oriented with accurate mathematical calculations, and the ability to work with minimum supervision.

• Demonstrated ability in the use of Microsoft Windows, Word and Excel. Superior ability to work with technology.

Preferred attributes:

• BA/BS degree in contract management or procurement field from an accredited school.

• Electronic procurement experience in PeopleSoft / Oracle.

• Contract management or related certification.

• Valid PA driver’s license.

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB)

FOR TRASH COMPACTORS AND CHUTE REPAIR - REBID

IFB#300-17-22 - REBID

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests bids from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s):

Trash Compactors and Chute Repair

IFB#300-17-22 - REBID

The documents will be available no later than October 3, 2022 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 10:00 AM on October 27, 2022

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical bids dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 10:00 AM on October 27, 2022 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Bids may be uploaded to the Authority’s online submission site, the link is accessible via the HACP website and within the IFB. Sealed bids may still be mailed via USPS at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

Parties or individuals interested in responding may download a copy of the Solicitation from the Business Opportunities page of www.HACP.org.

Questions or inquiries should be directed to:

Mr. James Harris General Counsel/ Chief Contracting Officer Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Legal Department

100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-456-5007 (for questions only)

A pre-submission meeting will be held via Zoom meeting; on October 18, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below:

Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/ j/82251346694?pwd=VUxTSTltaz RMS2orNFUwNmVqYmJuZz09 Meeting ID: 822 5134 6694 Passcode: 548991 Dial in:+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation.

HACP has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/ RFPs documentation.

Caster D. Binion, Executive Director Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh

HACP conducts business in accordance with all federal, state, and

PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY D/B/A/ PITTSBURGH REGIONAL TRANSIT (PRT)

Electronic Proposals will be received online at the Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a/ Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.rideprt.org). Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 AM on October 18, 2022 and will be read at 11:15 AM., the same day, at Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s Heinz location (345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2527) as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conferencing, for the following:

Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.rideprt.org)

Bid Number Bid Name

1 B22-07-56AR

Snow and Ice Removal Services – North and West

2 B22-09-87 Security Camera, Card Reader, and Misc. Security Equipment

To join by Microsoft Team video conference: https://bit.ly/3B7oMG2

To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number:

• 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) • Conference ID: 783 976 723#

No bidder may withdraw a submitted Proposal for a period of 75 days after the scheduled time for opening of the sealed bids. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held via tele-conference on each of the above items at 10:00 am September 28, 2022, as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conference.

To join by Microsoft Team video conference: https://bit.ly/3eLKBn7

To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) Conference ID: 132 416 526#

Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by Pittsburgh Regional Transit within five (5) business days of the scheduled bid opening. These contracts may be subject to a financial assistance contract between Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a/ Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) and the United States Department of Transportation. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations. Contractor is responsible for expenses related to acquiring a performance bond and insurance where applicable. All items are to be FOB delivered unless otherwise specified. Costs for delivery, bond, and insurance shall be included in bidder’s proposal pricing. Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprise will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

The Board of Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a/ Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

SUBCONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES

Veolia, North America’s leading operations company, is seeking firms for subcontracting opportunities. We are preparing a Proposal to Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh & Allegheny County for Wastewater Treatment Plant/ Chilled Water Plant Operator - David Lawrence Convention Center. Skills/ services sought include: mechanical contracting; analytical laboratory; chemical supply (WW treatment); and WW sludge hauling. For additional information and to submit a statement of interest contact: frank.crehan@veolia.com (tel. 813/983-2815).

ADVERTISEMENT SALE OF SURPLUS EQUIPMENT

COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY

The following surplus equipment will be offered for sale to the highest bidder(s):

REQUEST FOR QUOTATION 221020

Misc. IT Equipment, 2000 Ford Econoline E350 Van, 2007 Ford Expedition, 2008 Ford Expedition, 2012 Ford Pickup, John Deere 3320 with mower deck, John Deere 955 Tractor, Physical Therapy Tables, Kiln, Gymnasium Lighting Fixtures, Furniture, Coffee Machine Bids are due in to the CCAC Purchasing Department no later than 2:00 PM on Thursday, October 20, 2022. For more information, contact Michael Cvetic at mcvetic@ccac.edu.

Community College of Allegheny County Purchasing Department 800 Allegheny Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15233

ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY LEGAL NOTICE CONTRACT NO. 1769A

BULK PURCHASE OF SUPPLEMENTAL CARBON FOOD SOURCE Sealed Bids for CONTRACT NO. 1769A–BULK PURCHASE OF SUPPLEMENTAL CARBON FOOD SOURCE shall be received at the Engineering Department office of the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15233, until 11:00 A.M., Prevailing Time, Thursday, October 20, 2022 and then shall be publicly opened and read.

ALCOSAN encourages businesses owned and operated by minorities and women to submit bids on Authority Contracts or to participate as subcontractors or suppliers to successful Bidders. Successful Bidders are to use minority and women’s businesses to the fullest extent possible.

Documents pertaining to the submission of Bids are available at the Engineering office of the Authority, 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. Bid Security shall be furnished by providing with the Bid a Certified Check or Bid Bond in the amount of $1,000.00 Contract documents must be obtained directly from ALCOSAN to qualify as an eligible bidder.

Any questions regarding the Technical Specifications should be directed to Benjamin J. Heilman, Contract Supervisor, ALCOSAN, via email at benjamin.heilman@alcosan.org

Any questions regarding obtaining the Contract Bidding Documents should be directed to Kathleen P. Uniatowski, ALCOSAN, via email at contract.clerks@alcosan.org

The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informality in any bid and to accept any bid should it be deemed in the interest of the Authority to do so.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY

SANITARY AUTHORITY

Benjamin Heilman Contract Supervisor

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR CONCRETE SUPPORT AUTHORITY WIDE

IFB#300-24-22

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests bids from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s):

Concrete Support Authority Wide IFB#300-24-22

The documents will be available no later than October 3, 2022 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 9:00 AM on October 27, 2022 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical bids dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 9:00 AM on October 27, 2022 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Bids may uploaded to the Authority’s online submission site, the link is accessi ble via the HACP website and within the IFB. Sealed bids may still be mailed via USPS at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Parties or individuals interested in responding may download a copy of the Solicitation from the Business Opportunities page of www.HACP.org.

Questions or inquiries should be directed to:

Mr. James Harris Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Legal Department 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2915

A pre-submission meeting will be held via Zoom meeting; on October 18, 2022 at 9:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below:

Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/ j/81843385816?pwd=K1ZGQXh vUEpMOUcxWitvQitwZUJCQT09 Meeting ID: 818 4338 5816 Passcode: 320314 +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation.

HACP has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/ RFPs documentation.

Caster D. Binion, Executive Director Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh

HACP conducts business in accordance with all federal, state, and

laws, including but not

‘Courier’s Men of Excellence’ shines at Sheraton

In Pittsburgh, very few things can upstage a Steelers game. Es pecially a prime-time contest against your archrival Cleveland Browns.

But on the night of Sept. 22, as the Steel ers were in Cleveland, about to kickoff on every TV in the city, there was another show already in progress; the New Pitts burgh Courier’s “Men of Excellence,” where each member of the “Class of 2022” was about to hear their name called, and make that precious walk to the main stage to receive an award that they will cherish forev er.

Instead of checking out the game on their phones, the 400 people in the audience used their phones to take pictures and videos of their loved ones who were being honored on this Thursday night at the Sheraton Hotel, Station Square. They cheered for people like “Brotha Ash,” Ashley Woodson, who made his mark locally with his entertainment/publica tion company Brotha Ash Productions/Mag azine. They cheered for the Rev. Michael Smith, pastor of Destiny Inter national Ministries in Lincoln-Lemington. They cheered for long

‘Courier’s Men of Excellence’ shines at Sheraton

time radio personali ty Sly Jock, real name Clifford Charlton, and KDKA-TV meteorol ogist Ron Smiley, one of a very, very small handful of Black men to perform weather forecasts on Pittsburgh television in the city’s history.

They cheered for each of the 50 men who re ceived honors, along with this year’s “Lega cy Honoree,” longtime community and civil rights advocate Tim Stevens, Chairman and CEO of the Black Po litical Empowerment Project.

“I believe tonight is exceptional because everybody who is here, including my self, fought so hard to be here,” voiced one of the honorees, Leon U. Rockymore, founder of the Roxamore Network (media). “What I’m re alizing now, more than ever, is that you have

to overcome twice as many hurdles in order to complete the task of doing good.”

With “Brother” Mar lon Martin as the DJ, he played a number of R&B-based tracks to keep the mood upbeat in the main ballroom, including the moment when the honorees entered the room to a standing ovation.

WTAE-TV anchor/re porter Chandi Chap man served as the eve ning’s emcee, and she introduced Rev. A. Ma rie Walker, who gave the invocation.

Following dinner, Courier sales director Ashley Johnson gave a special recognition to the event sponsors, fol lowed by remarks from Courier editor and pub lisher Rod Doss. Doss then brought Stevens to the stage, who used his time to remind the crowd the importance of voting “in each and every election.” The next Election Day is

Nov. 8.

“We must protect the rights of Black and brown people,” Stevens said. “We must make an end to violence a reality, not a conver sation. We must make Diversity, Equity and Inclusion not a slogan but a meaningful con tribution to equity in our region, in our na tion.”

Stevens told the crowd of a sermon he heard from Dr. John nie Monroe, who at the time was a minister at Grace Memorial Pres byterian Church, in the Hill District, prior to Stevens becoming NAACP Pittsburgh Branch president in the mid-’90s. “He asked a question; are you a thermometer or a ther mostat? And I decided that I would be a ther mostat. Anybody can tell you the tempera

ture, but not everybody helps set the tempera ture,” Stevens said, to a rousing ovation. “I call upon everyone in this audience, and par ticularly you who are being honored tonight, the Men of Excellence, obviously somebody thought you were a thermostat...but you can be a bigger thermo stat, a more powerful thermostat for change.”

Chapman then intro duced the honorees, one by one, who received their award from Doss and then had their pic ture taken by LaTonya Owens.

Samuel Gill, one of the honorees, told the Cou rier he was motivated by Stevens decades ago by his messages. “What he said definitely stuck with me as a person and working in the city of Aliquippa,” he said.

Gill urged younger

Black men to take note of all the positive-mind ed Black men in one room; it shows “that we are a positive force and we can do anything we want to do.”

Honoree Damon Carr, who writes personal fi nance columns for the Courier in addition to his entrepreneurial work in finance, said he felt “humbled and hon ored” to be recognized, and that sometimes, “you don’t understand the impact you have on other people.”

And another honoree, Malcolm Nowlin, took a deep breath, took in the scenery of the Sheraton Hotel ball room, and told the Cou rier: “When I look back over my life and I just think things over, I can truly say I’m blessed.”

TIM STEVENS

& CEO of The Black Political Empowerment Project

Co-convener of the Greater Pittsburgh Coalition Against Violence

The New Pittsburgh Courier acknowledges editor and publisher Rod Doss, managing editor Rob Taylor Jr., sales director Ashley Johnson and graphic designer Warren King for their contributions to this ‘Men of Ex cellence’ special section. The Courier also acknowledges photographer LaTonya Owens for her contributions.

BRIAN E. BROOME EDUCATION

Assistant Professor of English West Virginia University

JOHN M. BURWELL PUBLIC SERVICE

Mayor, Homestead Borough; Community Program Specialist, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh

KEITH BUTLER CULINARY

Chef Instructor, Bidwell Training Center; President, Chefs Outreach Association

DAMON CARR FINANCE

Owner, ACE Financial; Money Coach & Personal Finance Columnist

CLASS OF 2022

KEVIN E. COOPER JR.

CHRIS CURD

A. EANES

CARE

RANDY K. FORD

SERVICE

SAMUEL L. GILL

SERVICE DEXTER HAIRSTON

SOCIAL SERVICES

DONNY E. HAMILTON JR.

SERVICES

C.

RON SMILEY

LAMARCUS THURMAN MORTGAGE SERVICE

MICHAEL H. SMITH RELIGION

Senior

DERRICK L. TILLMAN ENTREPRENEUR

REV. GEOFFREY E. TATE II RELIGION

Pastor, Park Place A.M.E.

DONALD C. WALKER III PUBLIC SERVICE

Councilman, City of

City

ANTHONY ‘TONE’ WALLS

SERVICES/SPORTS MIKE WARFIELD LAW ENFORCEMENT

Senior Monitor,

JAMAR WHITE, MBA EDUCATION

REV. DR. RICHARD W. WINGFIELD RELIGION

JOHNATHAN JEVON WHITE EDUCATION

ASHLEY WOODSON ENTREPRENEUR